


A Belly Full of Burdens

by brightstyled (brightabandon), nihilBliss



Category: Hiveswap, Homestuck
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bulges and Nooks (Homestuck), Developing Relationship, Discussion of Abortion, Eggpreg, Footnotes, Interactive Fiction, M/M, Oviposition, References to Drugs, Self-Hatred, poor kink negotiation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:54:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25803946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightabandon/pseuds/brightstyled, https://archiveofourown.org/users/nihilBliss/pseuds/nihilBliss
Summary: Mallek shows up at the home of his new matesprit, Galekh, with a head full of empty and a crotch full of horny. He springs an idea on Galekh, which leads to Bad Feels and Serious Consequences.Written by nihilBliss, coded by brightabandon. Best viewed using a desktop or laptop computer. Certain CSS elements may not operate as intended on touchscreen interfaces or with dark themes.
Relationships: Mallek Adalov/Galekh Xigisi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	A Belly Full of Burdens

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cryogenia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryogenia/gifts).



It wasn't every night that Galekh could put all the pieces together this neatly, but tonight, clearly, was something special. His lusus was napping, his tea was hot, his husktop was charged, and his kismesis had a legal obligation to fulfill. Finally - finally! - he had time to work on his book. But though the moons crawled across the sky, his fingers did not move. The ideas remained abstract in the folds of his thinkpan, not quite coalescing into words.

All the fuel in place, conditions ideal, ignition baton struck, and he couldn't make a single sentence catch a spark. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into his pinched-shut eyes and grumbled. Was this to be another night of stagnation and frustration? Another few of his remaining hours before the Ordeals culled and left to rot? He almost couldn't bear the shame.

"HEY BABE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Mallek Adalov peered into the library. Seeing Galekh, he grinned wide and strode into the room, already aiming his hand for its landing on Galekh's broad shoulder.

"I didn't know you were coming over, dear,"[1] You know I prefer it when you call ahead, but it's always lovely to see you when I'm not preoccupied. [2] By strictest definition, I did have plans this evening, but they have fallen through and I am far more happy to see you.  said Galekh, shutting his husktop, his pride grateful for the easy out. He laced his fingers with Mallek's and turned to stare into his matesprit's eyes. Just a few perigees ago, he would have never imagined that an unexpected guest hollering in his halls would be something he'd enjoy. This troll, though, with pierced features and piercing eyes, thrilled him every time they met. Mallek felt dangerous in a way Galekh thought was only possible with a kismesis, but Mallek never pointed the danger at him -- or at anyone in particular, as far as Galekh could tell. 

"Yeah, this = pretty off-the cuff," said Mallek, planting a kiss on Galekh's cheek. "I was cruising and saw your hive, and that made me think of you, and I figured, y'know, why not?"

Galekh turned, cheeks a faint blue, lips curled into a rumor of a smile.

"Well it's nice to see you all the same," he said. "Would you like anything to drink?"[3]While I don't keep your particular flavors of soporifics on hand, I can whip something pleasant up.

"I'm good," said Mallek. He set Galekh's husktop on a little round table and kneeled on either side of Galekh's legs.

"You seem to have something else on your mind,"[4]I would call you thirsty but you know I despise that particular idiom. said Galekh. He leaned up and gave Mallek a surprisingly chaste kiss. Mallek kissed back, running his pierced tongue across Galekh's lips, damning all chastity to the pit from whence it came.

"Well, like I said, I thought of you," he said, cupping his groin. "You know how you get me."

Galekh stared, biting his lip.

"I get you vulgar," he said. "I like you vulgar."

Mallek took Galekh's glasses off and set them aside, then laced his fingers behind Galekh's neck.

"Does that mean you're flushed for me?" said Mallek. He stared that wide-eyed, needy stare that was perhaps the most dangerous thing about him, saying please for something he hadn't asked for and didn't need to.

Galekh hissed a breath in, then succumbed. His lips crashed with Mallek's like a head-on collision, and their tongues danced in the wreckage. Mallek fumbled with Galekh's tie, never breaking contact, while Galekh took up the duty of holding them together.

"Do you want to..." Galekh began, coming up for air.

"Always."

Galekh, strong and sure, tugged Mallek's hoodie and shirt off and flicked them over the back of the chair. His fingertips found home tracing Mallek's grubscars. Mallek keened and quivered, back arching into his lover.

"Tease," said Mallek. He caught Galekh's earlobe between his sharp teeth just tight enough for Galekh to feel the points digging into his skin. Tight enough to make Galekh shiver, but loose enough for Mallek to lick and suck and draw a gasp from Galekh's lips. His hand slipped between Galekh's thighs, and he pressed. Galekh trilled deep in his chest, a pure expression of need.

Mallek slid his hands into Galekh's slacks, reaching down for that warmth and wetness he knew he'd find. Galekh's body responded to his touch in such wonderful ways. Indigo lips parted to kiss fingers they knew well. Mallek slid his digits in deeper, watching how Galekh's face contorted.

"You're so fucking sexy," he said. He took Galekh in a confident kiss.

"I want you,"[5]Please do not make a joke. You know what I am asking for, and I would appreciate it if you did not ruin my arousal. Galekh moaned.

Mallek bit his lip and looked away, mischief pulling a smile across his face.

"You wanna switch things up and top tonight?"

Galekh's eyes widened. It's not that he had a preference either way, though most of his past concupiscent partners preferred to be under his considerable sturdiness. But with how Mallek tended to lead and he was happy to follow, things tended the way they tended.

"I suppose I could be convinced,"[6]You have already convinced me. Besides, I love being inside of your nook. [7] Not that I'm opposed to your bulge by any means.  he said, leaning up for a quick kiss. "How do you want to do this?"

"That cholerbear-skin rug = looking pretty good right now," said Mallek. He pushed himself off of Galekh's lap, dragging fingertips up his lover's bulge, beckoning it to follow. Mallek looped his fingers in his waistband and, facing away, pushed them to his ankles, bent over. His bulge twisted in the warm air, his nook dewy with cerulean desire. Shadows from the fireplace danced over the curves of his round ass and lean thighs. Galekh's face flushed. He clutched the arms of his chair tight, enough to make the wood groan in protest. Mallek caught his eye and winked.

"Lay down," said Galekh. "I want to kiss you while we pail."

"Such a romantic," Mallek said, rolling onto his back on the rug. He spread his legs, arched his knees, and slid two fingers into the shadow-robed space between. "Come fill your bucket."

Filthy talk. Galekh shoved his slacks down and kicked them aside, clumsy and urgent. He mounted Mallek, not bothering to guide his girth into his lover's nook. Mallek did that when he was on top sometimes, and Galekh had learned to love the moments of anticipation between together and entwined. And soon enough and sure enough, he felt warmth at the tip of his bulge. He locked eyes with Mallek and watched the little catch of vulnerability as he entered. Galekh stayed there, only his bulge moving, marinating in intimacy. He smiled at Mallek, shivering now and again, as much from closeness as gentle pleasure.

"You're so fucking wonderful," he whispered.

Mallek glanced aside, then closed his eyes.

"Then fuck me wonderfully," he said. He wove his bulge between his fingers and rocked his hips against Galekh. They fell into it as one, a tangle of limbs, lips, and animal need. Sweat matted the fur of the rug. It clung to Mallek's skin as he met his lover's gyrations. In the uneven orange light, Galekh's strong features glistened, orange on indigo-gray. Something sublime dwelled in the wash of warm and cool that painted his broad, square jaw. Mallek whined and pressed his lips against it, tasting Galekh's beauty. He grasped one of Galekh's hands and set it against his chest piercing, which Galekh tugged.

"Ahhhyeah..." Mallek whined. "Fuck yeah."

Galekh caught Mallek in a kiss, feeding him a groan as his bulge writhed and twisted. Sensation like static pooled in his crotch. But there was a tension. His body was doing something different -- something good, but a very different kind of good. The strong muscles in his loins relaxed, and the tension built into weight, a stretch. Galekh froze.

"Mallek, we should stop," he said. "It's that time of the perigee.[8] I apologize for failing to properly keep track of my ovulation cycle. It's early, but I do not typically "top," so this sex act may be accelerating my reproductive rhythms.  I feel my eggs..."[9] It may be wise for you to finish inside of me, rather than the other way around, though I am happy to penetrate you with my digits or any concupiscent aid I have on hand.[10]If you brought one with you[11]Which would not surprise me in the least. I would be happy to use that as well.

Mallek's eyes widened, then flashed with excitement.

"You gotta finish in me! That'd be so fucking hot!"

Galekh blinked, but his bulge didn't pause at Mallek's request. The shock diverted his thinkpan, and the intimacy of Mallek's request shot straight to the root of his bulge. A firm egg pressed at his sphincter, ready to be laid.

"Are you sure?"[12] Given the spontaneity of this act, I am unsure you have thought through the consequences of my depositing eggs in you.

Mallek locked his ankles behind Galekh's hips, pulled them tight together.

"Make me your nasty fucking egg bucket, you beautiful bitch," he said, stuffing his tongue into Galekh's mouth. He gyrated, coaxing Galekh inward, begging him to let instinct take over. Between the words and the touch, the warmth of the fire and the way his lover terrified and excited him all at once, the way it felt very much like a roller coaster with the lap bars down and the drop just fractions of a second away, there was little choice to make. Mallek led his body, and his mind followed.

The first egg, stiff and jellylike, pushed its way past his sphincter and up into his bulge. Mallek's nook welcomed it, pulling along, making space for another. Galekh came in agonizing slow motion, a burn too long and too intense for his mind to welcome, but one his body knew the way it knew breathing. He whined and trilled, a primal mating noise from deeper within him than he knew he went. Another egg pushed its way into his length, then another.

Mallek's seedflap embraced the widening tip of Galekh's bulge and coaxed the egg free and into his gene bladder. It set nerves in his mind alight and awoke parts of his thinkpan that had never before been used. Every muscle in his body went taut, and his abdomen convulsed, drawing the eggs from Galekh's bulge. With each, he felt a tiny, short-lived climax spark through him, building like a storm.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck... babe... oh fucking... fuck," he whined, burying his face in his lover's broad chest, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. Sweat flowed from every pore, and he panted. Another egg pressed at his flap, thick and hot, and Mallek's mind went blank.

The lovers whined, bound together as Galekh passed egg after egg into his lover's body. His nook spasmed and squirted indigo onto the once-white fur.

Finally, the pressure abated, and Galekh fell sideways. He pulled Mallek close, anchoring his body until his mind returned, face buried against Mallek's shoulder. His sweat-slick skin felt incomplete without his lover's warmth. There was some profundity there, Galekh thought, that even one caste down the hemospectrum, a troll felt like a space heater. His thoughts drifted on a tide of closeness, of some nameless un-aloneness, that he wished could become the whole of his life.

Mallek groaned, one hand on his distended abdomen, instinct coaxing his body to curl around the mass at his core. Though his muscles complained at the stretch, his thinkpan swam in neurochemicals that told him what a good job he'd done. A belly full of eggs was a hell of a trip, more gentle than any tranquilizer he'd taken and rooted deeper in his being than any stunt or sex act before. Maybe he could get used to this.

Wait, used to being full of eggs? Eggs that could possibly be fertilized and viable, as in his body was full of potential grubs? As in he'd just let Galekh put viable troll eggs into his nook on a whim?

Panic boiled up through the mire of happy chemicals all at once. Nerves lit up like neon, and he shot to his feet, already looking for his clothes. Galekh said... something, Mallek couldn't tell what. His head pounded as he pulled his pants on. Some traitorous chemical in his body tried to drag him down, but he'd fought a drug before. He stuffed his head into his hoodie, wrestling to find the sleeves. A hand grabbed his shoulder. He spun, rolled it off. There was the hole... he pushed his head free. Then, he ran.

Galekh, taken aback, grabbed his slacks and held them in front of his groin. He followed heavy footfalls down the hall, calling his matesprit's name, pleading for him to stay. Galekh rounded the corner to the foyer and scrambled for the open front door.

But Mallek was gone. His hoverboard tore through the relative calm of the night, already a small spot and growing tinier by the second. Galekh reached out as if that might do something. Soon enough, though, his arm sagged and fell to his side, nothing left to reach for. Then he just stared, silent and still.

* * *

Mallek buried himself in the oversized hoodie, still warm from the printer. It hid the bulge of his heavy belly so he didn't have to look at it. But he could still feel its weight. He could sooner escape gravity than that weight, and like gravity, it pulled him down — as down as he could go.

"What the fuck was I thinking?" he breathed.

The cool of the underground river helped stave off the panic, resolving it to cold dread. He wrapped his arms around the warm mass at his core, chewing the inside of his cheek. Every lump in his abdomen indicted him as a fool. But he curled around them all the same. The comfort he felt was his body telling him that this was what he was hatched to do, that his life could serve no higher purpose than to propagate the species. His own flesh held him for ransom, and he had already begun to pay.

Why had he done that? Why had he told Galekh to put eggs in him? He had more than a few niche kinks, but the threat of reproduction put him well off that one in particular. It sounded like a good idea at the time, he supposed, having fat orbs shoved into his nook one at a time. Hell, it felt incredible. But it's hard to think of the consequences in the middle of coupling.

Galekh should have said something. He agreed to this too. Irresponsible fucker! Where did he get off putting eggs into unsuspecting concupiscent partners? Did he secretly want to knock Mallek up? He probably had enough highblood money to hide a long trail of lowbloods stuck with gene bladders full of indigo eggs they could either bring to term or get culled. Could this be some sort of crypto-hemosuperiority thing, breeding out the lower castes before their equals could use them to reproduce? Gog forbid, could Galekh be... a _loyalist?_ Mallek gagged at the thought.

"He != like that!" Mallek shouted, punching the hardened concrete at his side. Of course Galekh wasn't a loyalist or conspiring to spread his genetic material or some ridiculous thing like that. Galekh was nice. He was sincere. Stuffy and a know-it-all, sure, but, like, in a cute way. Hell, he probably had his own issues with the way the Heiress ran Alternia. But he was higher on the hemospectrum and probably didn't feel as small and helpless as Mallek did.

Something whirled in the pit of Mallek's stomach at the thought. Even with his own relative comfort and abilities, he could do so little to change his own future, to say nothing of the cruel society he and more vulnerable trolls had to live in. Sure, he did what he could, spreading what wealth he had or could steal to lowbloods, hiring them for little jobs on the side, that kind of thing. But it wasn't like he could hide a search bug in the cull lists to alert his lowblood friends when the drones were coming. It wasn't like he could actually make a difference.

Great. Just what he needed to be thinking about: his grand-scheme impotence in the last few perigees of freedom he had. As if the belly of eggs wasn't enough, why not go back to the same world-weariness he'd been coping with for sweeps! He should have seen this coming and brought a soporific vape with him, or at least some fucking clown drink. Something to put off the inevitable navel-gazing when things slowed down.

Why did his thinkpan always do this shit? If he slowed down for ten minutes, it was a greatest hits parade of fear and helplessness. Blah blah blah the world sucks bone bulge, blah blah blah nothing one midblood can do about it blah blah blah don't get attached because it's all going away. Same thing every time. Information trafficking helped, as did tinkering with husktops. When he wasn't doing biz or pecking away at a keyboard, he was usually high on something, getting killer air on his hoverboard or both. His work made him enough to pay for what blunted the pain, so there should have been no problem.

Well, to be fair, he'd been spending more than usual on drugs lately. But there was a trick he was trying to perfect, something really wild! Plus, whatever was happening to the rusties in downtown Thrashthrust, someone would need to know who was moving what where, and that meant hours of information fixing and verifying every day, all to be done without a veritable army of security hirelings finding out. And all of that meant he needed to get off as hard as he could with Galekh, just to get out of his head and make his tensing muscles let go. So what if he hadn't always disclosed that he'd been high when they pailed? So what if his porn appetites grew stranger and stranger, and the fantasies in his head developed along with them?

So what if he let go of the wheel and rolled with his urges now and then?

There it was, the core that stuck in his swallow pipe. Mallek flopped onto his back. His skin stretched taut across the eggs, stinging, and he grimaced, rolling over to curl around his distended core once more. Bitter guilt crept up from his digestion sac. Truth was, pretty clearly, the eggs hadn't been a plan. Getting pumped full sounded hot at the moment, and he ran with it and dragged Galekh along. Just like secretly getting high before sex for the thrill. Just like showing up out of nowhere. Just like running off the moment he realized what he'd done had consequences.

"Fuck," he said. Tears welled in his eyes. Why did he have to act like that to make the feeling go away? It wasn't right, especially not when Galekh got involved. He never asked for this mess. Galekh was just a really sweet guy. He deserved better than...

"An egg-stuffed computer nerd with half a cull wish," he mumbled. "That = all I am, I guess."

"I disagree."[13]There is quite a lot to you, and I don't like my quadrants speaking ill of themselves.

Mallek froze. Galekh's words skewered him through his misery, the pain of guilt now fresh and immediate. He curled around that awful warmth in his core.

"How did you find this place?"

"Your lusus showed me,"[14]He is just as concerned as I am. You should talk to him; he seems to care about you a lot. said Galekh.

Mallek sighed. Galekh's tone gave nothing away. Neither said anything for a long time. The sound of rushing water hung heavy in the too-thick air.

"I fucked up," Mallek finally said.

"I won't dispute that."

Well, it wasn't like there was much to dispute. Mallek craned his head toward Galekh, bracing himself for cold anger and a steely gaze. But he braced himself for the wrong thing. Galekh's puffy, bloodshot eyes and the way he shivered with each breath said he'd been crying.

"You scared me,"[15]You did more than just scare me, but let's address one thing at a time. said Galekh.

Mallek swore, barely audible, and the tears came.

"I = so fucking sorry..."

Mallek had never cried in front of anyone before, he realized. Maybe his lusus once or twice, but no trolls. Gog, it sucked. Had he ever been so mortified before? It would be nice if the roof fell and crushed him now, just end this fucking shitshow.

"Do you need to compose yourself?" Galekh asked. "I can give you some privacy."

"NO!" Mallek shouted, hoarse as a cornered lusus.

Galekh flinched.

"Don't go," Mallek whined. "Alone != good right now."

Mallek's eyes were not the eyes of the cocky, adventurous troll Galekh knew. They told of fear and pain long kept secret, now vulnerable as an open wound.

"Then I'll stay."

Galekh sat down next to Mallek and set a hand on his shoulder. The black hoodie dwarfed Mallek's body, made it seem small and frail, like a hard slap could have snapped him. Galekh wondered at his matesprit. So delicate, yet so reckless. Galekh thought about the way juvenile deercats clashed in his documentaries. Mallek was like one of those, but made of glass, always tilting at the world and on the cusp of shattering. Galekh missed that weakness, but it's easy to ignore glass when it's blinding you with the light that it refracts.

Mallek sat, then stood. He led Galekh to the edge of the underground river, then sat right at its edge. It pulled the heat from his body. The cold ache anchored Mallek's mind there. No running away. Galekh sat beside him, and Mallek leaned against him, limp.

“I dunno what I’m doing, baby,” he said. He stared at the far wall and its familiar lines, clean as computers could design.

Galekh sighed.

"Well, that's pretty obvious," he said, quiet venom in his words.

Mallek winced -- fair words, and they cut deep.

"Doesn't help," he muttered. He curled himself up tight, playing the insect and waiting for the peace of some descending boot.

"I know," Galekh said. "I shouldn't have said that."[16]I am dealing with a lot of feelings, such as anger, fear, a sense of betrayal, a need to know more, and so on. But there are productive ways to express these feelings, and saying something that only serves to hurt you is not one of them.

Mallek wiped his eyes on Galekh's suit coat.

"It was stupid of me to ask you to breed me just because it felt good," said Mallek. "A troll who knows what he's doing wouldn't have fucked up like that."

Galekh said nothing. What was there to say? He kept his arm around Mallek's shoulder.

"Truth = that I'm trying hard not to think about what = happening to me," he continued. "I'm scared of the future. I'm scared of the Ordeals, and I don't know what = going to happen. I might be culled. Or I might just be miserable doing stupid empire shit in space for sweeps and sweeps. I can't make anything I've done here matter, and I hate it. So I just keep doing stuff that != leaving any space in my thinkpan. Like drugs or hoverboard tricks."

"Or impromptu risky sex acts,"[17]Which you should really negotiate with your concupiscent partners beforehand, I should note for future reference and as a matter of best practice. Galekh said. "You leave a lot of space for regret when you do things like that."

Mallek sobbed against Galekh's side.

"I don't know if I regret this," he managed through renewed tears.

Galekh blinked, not quite wrapping his thinkpan around the idea.

"Would you kindly explain that with a little more specificity?"

"I think I really want this," he said. “I've never felt like this about anyone, and I don’t know how to say it, like, that I'm kind of serious about you, and... fuck, whatever, I’m a mess and I’m sorry I fucked everything up like this.”

A breath caught in Galekh's core. His hand crept down to Mallek's swollen belly and rested there, holding him close.

"Are you saying you want to have my grubs?"

"I... maybe? I don't know," he said. That cool hand on his stomach... it calmed him, somehow, despite who it was and what was pulling his skin so taut. "I want you."

“I’m with you as long as you'll have me, Mallek," said Galekh. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't.[18] Seriously, you made this about as much of a pain in my waste chute as I can conceive of. Given what we've been talking about, I might suggest finding a moirail to help you with your issues. If you want to get... 'cleaned out,' as it were,[19]I despise that euphemism. Have I mentioned that? I can help. Or if it means helping you bring these eggs to term,[20]You're lucky we're both high enough on the hemospectrum that we can both drop everything and care for you. well, I'm here for that, too.”

“What?!” Mallek said, going stiff. "I never even... I mean, fuck, grubs from us?"

Galekh caressed Mallek’s taut belly with a thumb. A tingling calm flooded Mallek's thinkpan. Damn hormones... but damn, those hormones. He melted against Galekh.

"Only if you want to," Galekh said, resting his chin between Mallek's horns. "You don't have to decide now."[21]Sooner would, naturally, be preferable to later.

But the decision had been made — rather, Mallek had already decided. All that remained was admitting it. He buried himself deeper in Galekh's arms and held on for dear life.

“I’m scared,” he said. "I think I do want this, but I'm so fucking scared, Galekh."

Galekh held him tight, strong but soft. He anchored them both down.

“Me too," he said. "But I’m here with you.[22]Which makes the third time I've said it in as many minutes, in case you were worried that I'm unsure. We’ll face this together.”

Mallek shivered, and all of his tension collapsed in a flood of tears. The world fell away. All that remained were two trolls and many, many eggs.

* * *

  1. You know I prefer it when you call ahead, but it's always lovely to see you when I'm not preoccupied.[2]By strictest definition, I did have plans this evening, but they have fallen through and I am far more happy to see you. [return to text]
  2. By strictest definition, I did have plans this evening, but they have fallen through and I am far more happy to see you. [return to text]
  3. While I don't keep your particular flavors of soporifics on hand, I can whip something pleasant up. [return to text]
  4. I would call you thirsty but you know I despise that particular idiom. [return to text]
  5. Please do not make a joke. You know what I am asking for, and I would appreciate it if you did not ruin my arousal. [return to text]
  6. You have already convinced me. Besides, I love being inside of your nook.[7]Not that I'm opposed to your bulge by any means. [return to text]
  7. Not that I'm opposed to your bulge by any means. [return to text]
  8. I apologize for failing to properly keep track of my ovulation cycle. It's early, but I do not typically "top," so this sex act may be accelerating my reproductive rhythms. [return to text]
  9. It may be wise for you to finish inside of me, rather than the other way around, though I am happy to penetrate you with my digits or any concupiscent aid I have on hand.[10]If you brought one with you[11]Which would not surprise me in the least. I would be happy to use that as well. [return to text]
  10. If you brought one with you[11]Which would not surprise me in the least. I would be happy to use that as well. [return to text]
  11. Which would not surprise me in the least. [return to text]
  12. Given the spontaneity of this act, I am unsure you have thought through the consequences of my depositing eggs in you. [return to text]
  13. There is quite a lot to you, and I don't like my quadrants speaking ill of themselves. [return to text]
  14. He is just as concerned as I am. You should talk to him; he seems to care about you a lot.[return to text]
  15. You did more than just scare me, but let's address one thing at a time. [return to text]
  16. I am dealing with a lot of feelings, such as anger, fear, a sense of betrayal, a need to know more, and so on. But there are productive ways to express these feelings, and saying something that only serves to hurt you is not one of them. [return to text]
  17. Which you should really negotiate with your concupiscent partners beforehand, I should note for future reference and as a matter of best practice. [return to text]
  18. Seriously, you made this about as much of a pain in my waste chute as I can conceive of. Given what we've been talking about, I might suggest finding a moirail to help you with your issues. [return to text]
  19. I despise that euphemism. Have I mentioned that? [return to text]
  20. You're lucky we're both high enough on the hemospectrum that we can both drop everything and care for you. [return to text]
  21. Sooner would, naturally, be preferable to later. [return to text]
  22. Which makes the third time I've said it in as many minutes, in case you were worried that I'm unsure. [return to text]



**Author's Note:**

> Edited by LumenInFusco


End file.
